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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1975)
I t Portland Observer by J.M. Gate« I he Invisible Message. If there is a message in the political climate of the new south, it i* the chai lenge to b o th the north and west to make demorrary a reality in the school houses and the state houses of America. With Governor George Wallace now having an integrated cabinet, we fur (her look to Governor Hebert Straub to integrate his cabinet, we could not help hut be disappointed when Governor Straub left out racial minorities and w om en on h is ' first go round" of inner c i r c le a p p o in t m e n t s . BUSINESS AS USUAL - minorities considered for second level, third level or 99th place appointments. President Ford has finally made a nomination which will integrate his cabinet but he will need to make further appointm ents of racial minorities to the inner circle if his domestic programs are to have sensitivity and credibility. Whereas President Hi lose veil initiated the "New D e a l” and P r e s id e n t Truman presented the “Fair Deal." It seems that Presi (lent Ford hau a "No Deal" program, for the inner city resident who com m utes from the larger urban areas to work, the income lax reflate and the increased gas tax amount to “no". We need strong repre se n ta tio n in the in n er circles of decision making It is not too early lor potential d eleg a tes to v a rio u s 1976 p o litic a l c o n v e n t io n s to b e g in inspecting the Quality of Appointm ents regarding possible presidential candi dates. The token, self serving appointm ent is worthless. In the area of local Human Resources, citizens .ill need to evaluate whether the potential di rector's prior experience in manpower, aging, and youth work merit the responsibility and salary com m ensurate with the position of Director of Human Resources. This particular area is much too im|M>rtant (or some fledg ling appointee to commit possible chaos while seeking on the job training at the position's current salary. There is a need for continu mg community evaluation. The m ost sig n ific a n t aspect of democratic gov crnment is the power of the people; that power can be most effective at the local level in terms of scrutiny or reform. The power of the people ran stop indifference for the power of the people makes p o ssib le the K erall Of P e o p le Who A re I n d if ferent, Unfair, Or Unavail able. The vote is a citizen's most important asset; it assures derisions On Elec lion Day and Alter Election Day. People power through the vote and the courts sustain a free society. Mayor Neil Goldsrhimdt and Commissioner Charles Jordan both owe the com munity an explanation as to the current status of the Manpower Program. If changes have occurred since the last public hearing, what are they and why???? At the county level, the careless decision making of Commissioner Don Clark regarding Edgefield Manor merits serious reflection. This writer wonders why Commissioner ('lark did not seek Public Input at a Public m eeting before reaching such a decision. It would seem that such luxu ies as golf courses or the Hoyt Hotel might be dis pensed with in an effort to improve Edgefield safety. Helpless people should hold a high priority in civilized decision making. Closing a facility instead of improving said facility is difficult to rationalize without a valid public hearing. A progress report on governmental agencies and civic organizations is bene final to the community. The approxim ately sev en teen minute January member ship meeting of the Port land NAACP may well be a record breaker for brevity. Occurring sim ultaneously w ith new sn o w , th e January meeting proceeded first with election of the Election Supervisory Com mitt»-e then the reading of Minutes followed by words of gratitude to the com mittee which mailed the individual notices (regard mg the January and February elections) then the Benediction. The an nounced program speaker was not yet available at the time of the adjournment. The recent Supreme Court derision regarding student rights brings to mind the Portland Branch NAACP presidency of Mr. Thomas Vickers. During his administration, monthly membership meetings were a forum where both mem bers and non members dis cussed in detail possible solutions for problems of R oosevelt High School, Oregon State University, Portland Public Schoo) dis ciplinary policies, local breakfast programs, etc... Programs then did not replace discussion meetings on local issues. The issue oriented leadership was noticeable in the 1969 1970 school crisis which resulted in a coalition of organizations filing suit in the U. S. District Court and winning the right for Portland students to have more equitable treatment re g a rd in g d isc ip lin a r y school action with the addition oí specific guide lines. February is traditionally a month of commemorating interracial goodwill and the positive aspects of heritage. The digusting article by Mr. Gerry Pratt in the Feb ruary 2, 1975 Oregoninan Northwest Magazine was a disgrace to the total com munity for the unjustified insults to American citizens of Japanese ancestry and Thursday. February 20, 1975 Need Glasses also to the nation of Japan. Does this kind of bigotry reflect community accept ance of derogatory racial terms? Why in the world would anyone want to repeatedly articulate racial epithets in an article about a little girl’s attempt to share fish with an unfriendly boy (whose Japanese Americans spoke English)? Perhaps now is the time or individuals and orgam zations to realize how much remains to be done in everyday human dignity for all people whether in the classroom, the playground, the newspaper. Such shameful insults should not go unnoticed! We are approaching the Bicentennial of our nation; the 200th birthday must mean human dignity and equality for All Americans. It is unpatriotic in 1975 for anyone to speak or writ» derogatory racial words about any racial group! Everyone therefore must make a special Bicentennial effort to correct institu tion al and co m m u n ity racism. A wholesome community attitu de re quires the con sistently positive work of all! All Optical EYE Exiatiutiaa INSURANCE — * — AikUi Abaet SOFLINS CONTACT le n s Accepted ★ • PttBSMU a ad Wsikit PilwBi Wsicaaad r is ^ e -2 2 7 -7 2 0 0 DK. LARRY A U O IV O X AW. fe a is rfr O p if/sm to m A ttr ti locot-d ,n M M l f i OPTICAL O H lC tS * S.W. 3rd & MORRISON DK. G. W A l.i.lS - DR H WEBB proposal The President stated in his recent press conference that such higher fuel bills would be offset by the rebate of reduction of taxes he has offered. This statement is bas«-d on his premise that priera though still increasing, are now coining close to stabiliza tion. Unfortunately this assumption is incorrect in light of the figures revealed in the consumer price index showing an increase of 12.2 per cent. What is more, energy aides say that Mr. Ford's plan would reduce income for most even with his tax benefits. It would be imperative for Mr. Ford to modify his energy proposal in order to prevent the worsening of inflation which would hit every industry and every consumer through higher bills for all forms of energy. M a ry lh u s t o ffers firs t a id class The Red Cross Standard First Aid Multimedia course is designed to provide fundamental principles and knowledge of, and skills in, first aid and accident pre vention. It prepares per sons to care for most injuries and to meet most emergencies. The Multimedia System of instruction is a scientifi rally developed system fea t u r i n g d e m o n s tr a tio n s , practice sessions, and pro gramnied workbooks. E n ro llm e n t in such courses is rising rapidly as l *T s ■ r • r® i r J V < W l • e te .. I 1 è."." J X w— 4 ■ È'" Jp R 1 ■i l ** ** i»* Warning The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous 03868311 1/ mg. "tar.’’ 11 mg nicotine, av per cigarette, HC Heport, Uct. 74 < - X ,, > - i* e t*' A Ik A \ salia t c a w AHAZlLKU. O p i o m t t n t t , In O f / ie z S E M L E R O f h e t , I n d u d - by Walter Smart the slate's April 1st dead line approaches, Frank G. Nickel, Red Cross first aid director, reports. "The federal law was the result of the staggering number of accidental deaths and disabling injuries on the job...,“ Nickel said. "Actually, every household sh ould have fir st aid instruction and first aid supplies on hand,” he con tinued. "First aid instruction has changed over the years. Most classes are intensive, one day courses..." Maryl hurst meets the needs of business people by dividing the eight hour intensive course into two four hour evenings. The fundam entals of first aid haven't changed substantially. What you don't do is just as important as what you do. The fee is six dollars. Class size is limited to six teen. To enroll in this two day intensive rourse in first aid, call Marylhurst Euucation Center, H36H141, Physical Education Center. ---’ Offices Also m B_A,.Mdart* •< O eiM M iry-R O R T U m • t . Larry S iM U R -M . R. N U U -R R . M. Kt LIT BY WALTER L SMART A new class which goes into effect April 1st. makes it mandatory that virtually every Oregon business must have on the premises someone trained in first aid. Responding to the need for first aid instruction, an intensive two evening Red Cross First Aid Class has been arranged at Maryl hurst Education Center. The Red Cross instructor will meet those who enroll Tuesday and Thursday. March llth and 13th, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Fast? N o A p pointm en t N e « d e d sSSf"’ "Massive hikes in prices of gasoline, home heating, oil and electricity," will result because of President Ford s energy and economic proposals. Stating this, Senators Kennedy and Jackson have rightly chai lenged the President on his proposal for a higher fee on imported crude oil They have sought a ninety day delay on the oil inijMirt levy so as to give Congress a chance to develop allerna live plans. Vet the press secretary staled that the President would "certainly not" change his energy proposals. The question then is, if people already have trouble paying for fuel bills, and are having their electricity and heat cut off, how can these same people pay much higher fuel bills which will result from the President's Page 3 [e r y 4